Ben Potter, YouTuber, known as Comicstorian, dies at 40 in ‘unfortunate accident’

Ben Potter, the YouTuber popularly known as Comicstorian, died on Saturday, June 8, in what his wife said was an “unfortunate accident.” The content creator, whose main account has more than 3 million subscribers, was 40 years old.

His death was mourned by many from the larger comic book fan community and beyond, including condolences from toy manufacturer Funko, actor and son of Ice Cube O’Shea Jackson Jr., author and artist Jimmy Palmiotti, writer Robert Venditti, voice actress Susan Eisenberg, and many more.

Potter’s wife Nathalie shared the news of his death in a lengthy post on social media. She wrote: “Two days ago, on June 8th, my husband Ben Potter passed away in a sad accident. To many of you, he was a comic storyteller who told stories from a variety of mediums. To his loved ones, he was one of the best and most supportive people you could wish for.”

“As a husband, son, brother, friend, or even just a stranger, Ben was loving and genuine. He was someone who listened and made time for his loved ones. He did his best to make everyone laugh and make sure they were OK. He was our rock and reassured his loved ones whenever they needed it.”

“He was my everything and I need time for my friends and family. I have so many things to sort out but first I need to grieve. I ask that you respect my privacy and that of everyone else. Right now my priority is to preserve everything he built and I have no plans beyond that.”

“His (YouTube) channel was one of his greatest achievements, and while we all need our time to mourn his passing, I know he would not have wanted it to end this way. Ben spent over 10 years spreading his love and appreciation for his hobbies. His love of engaging stories and well-written characters is what drew him to YouTube.”

“The team and I want to keep that going. To honor him by continuing to tell great stories about great people, and also to keep the memory of our own superhero alive. We supported each other in everything we wanted to do, and I’m not going to stop now,” she concluded.

His last Comicstorian video was released just three days ago.

After years of running Comicstorian, Potter was given the opportunity to write a backstory for Valiant’s comic Bloodshot #12. In an interview with Comic Book Resources, he talked about the “fun experience.”

“The Valiant Universe has always fascinated me because it was rebooted recently. We all love being part of the history of DC and Marvel comics and learning how it all comes together or how our favorite superheroes team up. But the problem is that it’s just so long and so many little things have happened that it’s hard to research,” Potter explained.

“But the Valiant universe takes the elements we love about those other brands and just recently relaunched. You can jump right to the beginning and read for a whole month.”

Several of Potter’s colleagues and fans expressed their condolences online following Nathalie’s post. One person tweeted at @heavyspoilers: “Incredibly heartbreaking. Comicstorian was an absolutely incredible YouTuber who did so much pioneering work and got so many people reading comics. Devastating news. Rest in peace.”